But, dental therapy and oral health education make natural bedfellows for nutritional advice, smoking cessation guidance and health promotion and there is a lot you can learn in a trip to the dental clinic.

Did you know we can now seek treatment from a dental hygienist or therapist without first having to see the dentist – widening our options massively when it comes to booking an appointment?

No longer confined to hospital and community settings, a dental therapist’s skills, in particular, demonstrate a holistic approach to care; their training based, as it is, on disease prevention.

Besides having an overarching responsibility for oral health care, there is also a legal and regulatory expectation for your dental professional to meet your overall health needs, with the profession’s regulatory body, the General Dental Council, maintaining that all aspects of our health and wellbeing should be considered at all times.

So, what does this mean for us? If the mouth is the window on our health – and there is a wealth of evidence to support this – then the health of our teeth and gums and their link to systemic diseases is an important issue.

Dental therapist and comparethetreatment oral health expert, Melonie Prebble, explains: ‘Regular dental examinations give us both the time and opportunity to detect early predictors of systemic disease as well as dental disease. Patients usually present at the practice when seemingly healthy, so we are on the frontline to find any “hidden’ problems” – an examination reveals a lot more than just the health of the oral cavity. Additionally, recording your medical history at every visit can highlight any risks and we can review habits jointly.’

Only last week a new study suggested our oral health was greatly influenced by factors other than diet – our gender, where we live, and our behaviour, for instance.

The research findings on the oral health of an African tribe who are shifting from a foraging, wild-food diet to an agriculture-based diet indicated that dental health is influenced by many factors.

Today is World Oral Health Day and it serves as a reminder of the importance of good oral hygiene habits, avoiding risk factors and having a regular dental check-up.

So, exactly what can the dental team learn from looking inside your mouth?

• Tooth erosion Acidic foods and drinks are well known sources of the problem; conditions such bulimia or anorexia nervosa can be, too.

• Cancer Excessive alcohol consumption and smoking both impact on oral health, besides the wider implications. The most significant contributory factors to oral cancer are smoking and heavy drinking, while the use of smokeless tobacco, chewing betal quid, and a poor diet can also increase the risk. Researchers have also found that men with gum disease were 49% more likely to develop kidney cancer, 54% more likely to develop pancreatic cancer, and 30% more likely to develop blood cancers.• Diabetes Many cases of diabetes in the UK are undiagnosed and dentists have a useful role to play. Diabetic patients arrive in the dentist’s chair with their own set of clinical challenges and dental teams can help manage diets to control any negative impact it has on periodontal status. Some dental practices even offer screening opportunities in the form of blood glucose testing (BGT).

• Stress Stress can lead to serious damage to our teeth – an increase in erosive alcohol and a desire for more sugary food and drinks, for example. Stress may also cause bruxism (tooth grinding), which not only wears down teeth, but also increases the risk of developing other symptoms such as headaches, TMJ disorders, facial pain, ear pain and is associated with sleep apnoea.

• Childbirth Women with periodontal disease are believed to be more likely to deliver babies prematurely or with low-birth weight than mothers with healthy gums.

• Hypertension Oral hygiene may be considered an independent risk factor for hypertension and that maintaining good periodontal health habits may prevent and control the condition.

• Osteoporosis Because bone density decreases, we may lose the supporting bone of our teeth, which become loose or may fall out.

Sharethisarticle

Article Categories

Find a nearby practice : White Dental Beauty

Related Treatments

There are two types of Boutique Whitening gels available: Boutique – By Day is a gel patients can use for an hour during the daytime. Boutique - By Night to be worn overnight. To achieve the best results the product should be used daily.

Ceramic braces are brackets fixed to the teeth which can either be made from transparent materials that allow the natural colour of the teeth to shine through, or produced in ceramics in shades similar to the natural colour of teeth.

Cfast is a simple, gentle, minimally invasive cosmetic treatment that corrects alignment issues with the top and bottom front six teeth often referred to as the 'social 6'. Cfast uses clear orthodontic brackets and tooth-colored nickel-titanium wires.

The enlighten teeth whitening treatment system is revolutionary. It is the only system in the world to guarantee results, irrespective of starting shade. It is a combination of a new type of tray whitening and in chair – it usually takes around 2 weeks.

Fast Braces are a relatively new and innovative orthodontic treatment which begins by moving the root portion of the wonky or misaligned teeth, making the process dramatically quicker as the entire tooth is moving throughout the treatment.

Fixed braces are the most common type of orthodontic appliance. They can be used when a number of teeth need to be corrected, or when the treatment needs to be precise to prevent problems in the future.

A hygienist’s main area of work is to prevent and treat gum disease and this includes professionally cleaning your teeth, sometimes referred to as scaling and polishing, when you visit the dentist or book an appointment specifically to see a hygienist.

Incognitoa braces are hidden on the inside surface of the teeth and as a result is a choice favoured by those that feel self-conscious about conventional braces. Incognito braces are custom-made to suit each individual and are typically made of cast-gold.

The Inman Aligner is a solution that helps to align the front teeth to provide a straighter look. While the appliance isn’t invisible, as it has mental components, it is discreet and not as obvious as other teeth straightening options.

Invisalign straightens teeth using a series of nearly invisible, removable aligners that are custom-made specifically for your teeth. Invisalign clear aligners are custom-made to fit snugly over the teeth & gently move them, week by week.

Lingual Braces are almost the same as fixed wire braces, but attached to the back surfaces of the teeth thus invisible from the front. Lingual braces are suited to those who want to straighten the teeth without the use of visible braces.

Metal Fixed Braces, often referred to as 'Train Tracks' is the most common orthodontic solution and can be used to correct a large number of teeth or to target smaller, specific areas. Patients can choose between gold or silver colour metal fixed braces.

Opalescence whitening systems have a long-standing reputation for quality. Brought to you from Ultradent, an American brand, it is trusted the world over. There's 3 kits: Take home syringes, In-office whitening and Prefilled trays.

Orthodontic procedures are designed to treat dental & facial irregularities, giving patients straight teeth which are easier to clean, reducing the risk of tooth & gum disease & decay. There are many different systems available both fixed or removable

Philips Zoom teeth whitening is a unique procedure which is designed to effectively whiten teeth in an hour. This professional tooth whitening treatment is always carried out at a dental practice using a Zoom White Speed Lamp to speed up the process.

There are two types of Quick Straight Teeth braces. Fixed braces & removable braces. The fixed braces are very discreet using ceramic brackets and tooth coloured wire. The removable braces are in the form of clear aligners, very thin, vacuum formed trays

Removable braces (clear aligners) is, as the name suggests, different to a regular brace in that it is not affixed to the teeth and are typically worn by adults who would like straighter teeth but don't want the 'train track' fixed metal braces.

SDI Pola is an effective tooth whitening system that is widely available through dentists. It is used to safely whiten discolorations in the enamel of the teeth which have appeared due to a range of factors, including age, coloured foods and drinks.

The Six-Month Smiles system can provide fast and efficient treatment for those that want quick results in correcting dental problems. The orthodontic treatment focuses on aligning the teeth that you see when you smile rather than the whole set of teeth.

Tooth whitening involves lightening the natural colour of your teeth without removing any of the tooth surface. There are several options available depending on how much you wish to spend and whether you would like to visit a dentist or do at home.

A veneer is a thin layer of porcelain, or a natural coloured composite material, which made to fit over the front surface of your tooth to improve its appearance, shape, or position. If you have badly damaged or crooked teeth, the solution may be a veneer